Lesson 16: "Thou Shalt...Offer Up Thy Sacraments on My Holy Day"

7/30/2019 Lesson 16: "Thou Shalt...Offer Up Thy Sacraments on My Holy Day"

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To download past handouts, go to: highlandvalleysundayschoolnotes2012.blogspot.com

#1 President Spencer W. Kim-ball:People frequently wonder

where to draw the line: what isworthy and what is unworthy to

do upon the Sabbath. But if one loves theLord with all his heart, might, mind, andstrength; if one can put away selfishnessand curb desire; if one can measure eachSabbath activity by the yardstick of worship-fulness; if one is honest with his Lord andwith himself; if one offers a "broken heart

and a contrite spirit," it is quite unlikely thatthere will be Sabbath breaking in that per-son's life.(The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 215-16,218-19)

#2 President David O.McKay:Because of the unex-pected delays and other unfortu-nate circumstances, over twohundred members of the Willie

and Martin handcart companies died be-fore they could reach the Salt Lake Valley.None of the other handcart companiescoming to the valley before or after themsuffered so many problems.

Some years after the Martin companymade their journey to Salt Lake City, ateacher in a Church class commented

how foolish it was for the Martin companyto come across the plains when it did.The teacher criticized the Church leadersfor allowing a company to make such ajourney without more supplies and pro-tection.

An old man sitting in the classroomlistened for a few moments and then

spoke out, asking that the criticism bestopped. He said, Mistake to send the

Handcart Company out so late in the seson? Yes. But I was in that company anmy wife was in it. We suffered beyonanything you can imagine and many dieof exposure and starvation, but did youever hear a survivor of that companutter a word of criticism? Not one othat company ever apostatized orleft the Church, because everyone ous came through with the absoluteknowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities[difficulties].

I have pulled my handcart when I wso weak and weary from illness and lackof food that I could hardly put one footahead of the other. I have looked ahead

and seen a patch of sand or a hill slopeand I have said, I can go only that farand there I must give up, for I cannotpull the load through it. I have gone to that sand and when I reached it, thecart began pushing me. I have lookedback many times to see who was pushinmy cart, but my eyes saw no one. I kne

then that the angels of God were there.Was I sorry that I chose to come byhandcart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paidto become acquainted with God wa


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a privilege to pay, and I am thankfulthat I was privileged to come in theMartin Handcart Company(Pioneer Women, 8)

#3 Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

It is in no sense an exaggera-tion nor does it overstate thefact one whit to say that any

person who keeps the Sabbath, accordingto the revealed pattern, will be saved inthe celestial kingdom True worship in-cludes keeping the commandments, andthose who devote their Sabbaths to trueand proper worship obtain the encour-

agement that leads to full obedience.(The Promised Messiah, pp. 390-91)

#4 President Kimball: We do not go toSabbath meetings to be entertained oreven solely to be instructed. We go toworship the Lord. It is an individual re-sponsibility, and regardless of what is saidfrom the pulpit, if one wishes to worship

the Lord in spirit and truth, he may do soby attending his meetings, partaking ofthe sacrament and contemplating thebeauties of the gospel. If the service is afailure to you, you have failed. No onecan worship for you(The SabbathA Delight,Ensign, Jan. 1978)

#5 Elder McConkie: Deity is worshiped

in prayer, song, sermon, and testimony;by the making of covenants, offering ofsacrifices, performance of ordinances,and the participation in religious ritualsand ceremonies; he is worshiped bymans act of believing divine truths, by hisbeing converted to them in their fulness;he may be worshiped in thought, word,

and deed. But the most perfect of allworship comes from those who first be-lieve the gospel, who then participate inits outward forms, and who finally keepthe standards of personal righteousnessthat appertain to it.(Mormon Doctrine, 849)

#6 Elder Boyd K. Packer:...aincreasing number of our leadeand members do not sing thecongregational songs Weshould sing the songs of Zion

they are an essential part of our worship(CR, Oct. 1991)

#7Alexander Schreiner, one of the gretabernacle organists, recalled a storyabout someone who asked a music diretor how he could stand to hear BrotherStanton bellow off-key at Church gatherings. The wise old leader replied, BrothStanton is one of our most devout wor-shipers,, and when he bellows he is a supreme musician. . . . Dont pay too muc

attention to the sounds he makes. If yodo, you may miss the music.(Ensign, March 2000, p. 19)

#8 Elder M. Russell Ballard:After his mortal ministry,...Jesus told his Nephite Apostlthat He would no longer acceptburnt offerings but that His disc

ples should offer a broken heart and acontrite spirit (3 Ne. 9:19-20). Instead the Lord requiring our animals or grain,now He wants us to give up all that is ugodly. This higher practice of the law ofsacrifice reaches into the inner soul of aperson

...When we overcome our own selfis


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desires and put God first in our lives andcovenant to serve Him regardless of thecost, we are then living the law of sacri-fice(The Law of Sacrifice,Ensign, Oct. 1998)

#9 Elder Neal A. Maxwell:

The language of D&C 59:9 withregard to the Sacrament is mostinteresting. We are commandedto offer up our sacraments.

What is the significance of [this]command to offer, rather than partake of,a sacrament? Are we really supposed tooffer something?

So it is that real, personal sacrificenever was placing an animal on the altar.Instead, it is a willingness to put the ani-mal in us upon the altar and letting it beconsumed! Such is the sacrifice unto theLord . . . of a broken heart and a contritespirit,(D&C 59:8), a prerequisite to taking upthe cross, while giving away all [our]sins in order to know God(Alma 22:18) for

the denial of self precedes the fullacceptance of Him.(Deny Yourselves of All Ungodliness,Ensign, May 1995)

#10 Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin:...one of the great purposes ofthe Sabbath is to enable us towash away the filth of a week in

Babylon. It is on the Sabbath that we

clean our spirits.(CR, Oct. 1995)

#11 Elder James E. Faust:...obedience to commandments[is] an expression of our love forGod. Blessed are those who need

no reasons other than their love for theSavior to keep his commandments After

all, it is a test by which the Lord seeks tprove you in all things(D&C 98:14) to see your devotion is complete.(CR, Oct., 1991)

The Unforgettable SummerbyAlma J. Yates

There never was a time in my life when I questioned my fathers faith. His convictions werestamped indelibly upon his life, firm enough to wistand whatever trial, adversity, or challenge pre-sented itself.

When I was a boy we lived on a small Utah fawhere money was scarce and work abundant. Duing those early growing-up years the summersseemed especially difficult to me and filled with eless drudgery. There were beets to thin, corn tohoe, and ditches to clean; the troublesome weedsalways grew back; there was always another crophay to haul.

The one saving balm, the one pleasant oasis ithe midst of all the summer labor was the SabbatWe all knew that Sunday was the Lords day. Theweeds, the hay lying in the field, and the unhar-vested grain would all wait until Monday.

Stopping work on the Sabbath was not alwayseasy as hanging up a hoe and not returning to thcornfield. There were complications. The summer

were the only real opportunities to harvest financsecurity. If a farmer did not prosper during thoseshort summer months, the long winters were leanand difficult. The crops had to succeed, and moreoften than not the key to this modest prosperitywas waterwater that was scarce in Utah, waterthat seldom came in the form of rain, water thathad to be stored meticulously during the winter aspring and rationed carefully throughout the hot,dry summer weeks.

Each farm was dependent upon the irrigationditch. The ditch, with its life-giving water, was allthat stood between the farmer and disaster. Irrigtion was imperative, and at times that posed a reSabbath dilemma. Some years a farmers turn felon Monday, some years on Tuesday, some years another day of the week. And sometimes the turnfell on Sunday. The farmer had no choice.

Like everyone else, Fathers turn came on Sunday some years. I remember those years well be-
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cause I was always impressed by my fathers deter-mination to keep the Sabbath day holy. I dont sup-pose the Lord would have condemned him for irri-gating his farm on Sunday. He knew fathers heart,and He knew the circumstances under which he andthe other farmers labored. However, father wantedto avoid even that Sabbath labor. He was convinced

that were the Lord to make out those wateringschedules for the farmers, no turn would ever fallon His Sabbath. I never heard Father verbalize hisresolve not to trespass on the Lords holy day buthis life reflected it.

When fathers turn fell on Sunday, he did all hecould to avoid Sabbath irrigation. Friday and Satur-

day he would watch at the irrigation ditch for anyrun-off water from the farmers up the line. Hesqueezed every available drop from the ditch, andby Sunday the farm was irrigated. I dont remember

that he ever had been forced to work on the Lordsday. This meant more work for him, but father waswilling to make the sacrifice if it would allow him torest on the Sabbath.

Everything always seemed to work out. As I ob-served him through the years, his dedication andresolve were a testimony to me that the Lordblesses those who strive to keep his command-ments.

Then one year came a special trial of his faith.

The scorching summer heat seemed to come earlythat year, portending a drought. The days passedslowly, the sun baking everythingthe lawn, thegarden, and the fields wilting under the burningrays. Of all the years to have a Sunday water turn!The farm needed water, water that had not comedown the irrigation ditch as runoff on Friday andSaturday; consequently, the farm was dry on Sun-day.

One Sunday morning, my mother approachedmy father with great concern. Joseph, she said, I

think youd better turn the water down from theditch, at least on the lawn and garden. Theyreburning up.

And they were. Everything was burning up with-out water. There was no alternative. The farm hadto have water, and if father let his irrigation turn slipby, there would be no water until the following Sun-day. The farm would never go another week.

And so, before getting dressed for his Sundaymeetings, father left the house, carrying his shovel

over his shoulder. It must have been terribly disappointing for him to trudge up the hill that morning

All these years he had worked to avoid this very lbor, and now he was caught. We were sure theLord would not condemn him, and yet, Fatherwanted very much to find another way.

He reached the irrigation ditch and put the can

vas dam in place, but before doing anything else,still bending over the ditch, he paused and contemplated. What was he to do? He pondered the Lordinjunction to keep the Sabbath holy. Did he reallybelieve that, not merely with his lips but with hislife?

While he was deep in thought, he received apoignantly powerful communication, one he wouldnever forget: Pull out your dam. Put up your shoand tools. I will take care of things for you. It maynot be early in the day, but I will take care of it. A

for the summer, leave it to me. I will provide.Father straightened up. There was no one

around. He looked heavenward. The sky was cleaand blue, no clouds in sight. A dry breeze was bloing, promising a stifling, suffocating day.

With the broiling sun intense and the earthparched and powdery dry, father pulled out the cavas dam, left the ditch, and returned to the houseHe had been told. He knew that. He didnt knowhow he would be taken care of, but he knew he h

been promised. He dressed and went to his Sundameetings, leaving his farm to the power he hadtrusted all his life.

When they returned home from their meetingsthe sky was still clear, the air hot, the farm wiltingbeneath the sweltering sun. With no visible sign orelief, mother, still greatly concerned about the gaden, again spoke to father, who had not mentioneto her the experience he had had that morning. I

surely doesnt look much like rain, she said. Whaare you going to do about the garden?

For the second time that day father climbed thhill to the irrigation ditch, saddened by his situatioReluctantly he placed the dam into the ditch, butthen he paused, amazed by his own faltering con-viction. Where is your faith? he asked himselfpointedly.

Filled with a new resolve, he pulled the damfrom the ditch and went down the mountain, detemined never again to make that Sabbath trek to tcanal.


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Coming down the hill, he lifted his eyes to thesky and saw clouds beginning to gather. Within anhour the rain was coming down in torrents. The dryearth soaked up the needed moisture, and the lawn,the garden, and the fields were refreshed.

That rain was a miracle, but it was only a begin-ning. Summer was just commencing. The sweltering

months of July and August lay ahead. But fatherhad no worries; he had been promised by Him whohad given the law and who would provide the wayfor its compliance.

The following week a neighbor asked father if hewould trade a portion of his Sunday water turn for a

portion of a Saturday one. Father was delighted.

During that short time on Saturday he was able towater the lawn and garden. Still, there was no pos-sible way to irrigate the farms acres of corn, barley,and hay during those few short hours on Saturday.

But the Lord blessed him in another way. Periodi-cally throughout the summer, just when rain wasneeded most, clouds gathered, the rains came, andthe crops were watered.

So sure was my father that the Lord wouldwatch over him that not once during the summerdid he clean a ditch or furrow out the corn. This washot, dry Utah, where the farmers whole existencewas dependent upon those irrigation ditches, butthis summer the ditches on fathers farm were never

used. Never before had father gone an entire sum-mer without irrigating his farm, but this summerwas different. This summer was the Lords summer,and he was providing.

By the end of the summer father had harvestedthree bumper crops of hay, a bounteous yield ofbarley, and a lush crop of silage corn. The windowsof heaven had truly opened, and the Lord had in-deed provided.

It has been some time since that miraculoussummer, but my own faith has been strengthened

ever since. So often the Lord wants to bless us, butwe refuse to let him. We fear to trust him who hasgiven us everything, and yet he is so anxious tosend us, as it were, the water of life. His blessingsawait us, but we must trust him completely, uncon-ditionally. It seems that at times we must watch ourdreams wither and wilt, with no visible sign of reliefon the horizon. But then, after the trial of our faith,comes the miracle. (Ensign,August 1982)

Using Agency Wiselyby Elder Donald L. Hallstrom

Like all of us, Toshio Kawada of the ObihiroWard, Sapporo Japan Stake, has had to make crucial choices when faced with lifes difficulties. He

joined the Church in 1972, and he and his wife, Myuki, were sealed in the Laie Hawaii Temple in

1978. They have two sons. Brother Kawada serveas president of the Obihiro Branch, president of thKushiro Japan District, and counselor in the JapanSapporo Mission presidency for many years.

More than 20 years ago, when his family wasstill very young, Brother Kawada was working forhis father as a dairy farmer. Tragically, one day thlarge barn where they kept their milk cows and altheir equipment burned down. Financially devas-tated, his father went to the farmers union for a

loan but was turned down. Subsequently, his fathand older brother filed for bankruptcy. Although nlegally responsible, Brother Kawada felt obligated help pay back all the debts.

As Brother Kawada was pondering a solution this problem, he decided to plant carrots. He hadgrown potatoes, but he did not know how to growcarrots. He planted the seeds and prayed earnestfor his carrots to grow.

All this time, Brother Kawada faithfully served the Church, kept the Sabbath day holy, and paid

his tithing. When he and his family dressed in thebest clothes and went to their Sunday meetings,many neighbors scoffed at them. It was difficult tolose one day a week in their fields, especially at hvesttime. It was not always easy for them to paytheir tithing, but they offered it to the Lord obedi-ently and cheerfully.

Fall came and Brother Kawadas carrots turnedout to be unusually sweet and large, with an excetionally rich color. He had an abundant harvest an

went to the farmers union for help, but they re-fused to sell his carrots through their distributionsystem. He fasted and prayed and felt inspired totry to find a produce distributor in Tokyosomething that is very difficult to do without introductions or connections.

Brother Kawada was blessed to find a large distributor in Tokyo. Since then he has been very sucessful and has repaid all his fathers debts. He curently has a large agricultural operation with many
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employees, and he is teaching young farmers howto effectively organize their businesses.

Even in exceptionally trying circumstances,Brother Kawada chose to be true to the promises hemade in his baptismal, priesthood, and temple cove-nants. Although it would have been easy to rational-ize working on the Sabbath, not serving in the

Church, and not paying tithing until his problemswere resolved, he was resolute in following the di-rective to seek ye first the kingdom of God, and hisrighteousness. He then found that, indeed, all

these things shall be added unto you (Matt. 6:33I respect Toshio Kawada not simply because h

overcame hard times and became a successfulfarmer. Far more impressive is that he made courgeous choices during a difficult period, knowingthey would not necessarily bring an immediate re-wardor any temporal reward at all. His example

righteously using agency and steadfastly holding teverlasting principles is worthy of emulation.(Ensign, January 2006)

Other thoughts too great not to include:Elder Mark E. Petersen: "Our observance or non-observance of the Sabbath is an unerring measure ofour attitude toward the Lord personally and toward his suffering in Gethsemane, his death on the cross,and his resurrection from the dead. It is a sign of whether we are Christians in very deed, or whether ouconversion is so shallow that commemoration of his atoning sacrifice means little or nothing to

us." (quoted in Arnold K. Garr, et. al, Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History, p. 1049)

Elder James E. Faust:Where is the line as to what is acceptable and unacceptable on the Sabbath?Within the guidelines, each of us must answer this question for ourselves. While these guidelines are contained in the scriptures and in the words of the modern prophets, they must also be written in our heartsand governed by our conscience. Brigham Young said of the faithful, The spirit of their religion leaks outtheir hearts. (Journal of Discourses, 15:83.) It is quite unlikely that there will be any serious violation ofSabbath worship if we come humbly before the Lord and offer him all our heart, our soul, and our mind.(See Matt. 22:37.)" ("The Lord's Day," Ensign, Nov. 1991, 35)

Elder Dallin H. Oaks:I had a personal experience that taught me for all time the importance of obserng the Sabbath. As a Brigham Young University student, married with two small children to support, I haa job that required me to work on the Sabbath. Consequently, I did not enjoy the blessings of the Sabban full measure, despite my efforts always to attend at least one of my Sabbath meetings. When I left thcampus to study at the University of Chicago, my mother reminded me that my father had never studiedon the Sabbath during his professional training. She said to me very casually, Son, if you want to enjoythat blessing you should arrange your activities so that you never study, so that you never do anything othe Sabbath except partake of the spiritual food that is available to you on the Lord's day.

I made up my mind at that time that I would observe the Sabbath faithfully so that I could qualify fothe blessings of spiritual growth and the companionship of the Spirit that come from observing faithfullythe Sabbath of our Lord. I testify to you that I realized those blessings in measurable ways on innumerab

occasions. My concern for the Sabbath is to earn the blessings available to those who observe it, not tokeep myself from sinning. My attitude is to look on the commandment of the Sabbath as a gift of my Heaenly Father to teach me what I should do if I want to enjoy his richest blessings. That is the attitude I encourage each of us to develop toward each of our Father in heaven's commandments. (BYU Devotional,10 September, 1974)

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known GodCorrie ten Boom, Clippings from My Notebook

(Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982), p. 27.
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BLESSINGS OF SABBATH OBSERVANCE:

Being unspotted from the world (D&C 59:9) Spiritual growth and refreshment (Manual, 91) Companionship of the Spirit (Manual, 90) To prepare us for that which is coming (D&C 133:57-58)

Obedience brings never-ending happiness (Mosiah 2:41) Salvation in the Celestial Kingdom (Elder McConkie)

Isaiah 58:13-14: We will delight in the Lord We will ride the high places of the earth We will be fed with the heritage of Jacob...from among my [Joseph son of Jacobs] seed, scattered with the Gentiles, shall achoice Seer arise whose bowels shall be as a fountain of truth, whose loins shall begirded with the girdle of righteousness, whose hands shall be lifted with acceptancebefore the God of Jacob to turn away his anger from his anointed, whose heart shallmeditate great wisdom, whose intelligence shall circumscribe and comprehend thedeep things of God, and whose mouth shall utter the law of the just: His feet shallstand upon the neck of his enemies, and he shall walk upon the ashes of those whoseek his destruction: with wine and oil shall he be sustained, and he shall feedupon the heritage of Jacob his father: the just shall desire his society, and the up-right in heart shall be his companions: No weapon formed against him shall prosper,and though the wicked mar him for a little season, he shall be like one rising up in theheat of wine - he shall roar in his strength, and the Lord shall put to flight his perse-cutors: he shall be blessed like the fruitful olive, and his memory shall be as sweet asthe choice cluster of the first ripe grapes. Like a sheaf fully ripe, gathered into thegarner, so shall he stand before the Lord, having produced a hundred fold. Thusspake my father Joseph. Therefore, my son, I know for a surety that those things willbe fulfilled, and I confirm upon thee all these blessings. (From the Prophet JosephSmith Jr.s patriarchal blessing)

Leviticus 26:2-12 Rain in due season Land shall yield her increase We will eat bread to the full We will dwell in our land safely We will have peace in the land God will make us fruitful He will establish His covenant with us He will set His tabernacle (temple) among us He will walk among us


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D&C LESSON 16 OUTLINETodays lesson is on keeping the Sabbath day holy. Ill grant you its not the mostexciting topic, at least on the surface. But as with every other lesson Ive taught, Imalways surprised by how much more there is to the iceberg of every gospel topic. Awas putting on my scuba hear, or rather studying everything I could find about theSabbath, two thoughts came to mind:

The first was related by President John Taylor. He said that he had heard a conversation between a member of the Illinois legislature and the Prophet Joseph that wentsomething like this:

How is it that you are enabled to govern so many people, and to preserve sucperfect order? Its impossible for us to do it anywhere else. Joseph replied that it wvery easy. How? responded the gentleman, to us it is very difficult. Joseph thenreplied: I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.(The Organizationthe Church,Millennial Star, Nov. 15, 1851, 339)

So for this lesson Id like to get past the surface dos and donts of Sabbath obser-vance and into the principles involved.

Quotation #1So its really an attitude, rather than a list of what we should and shouldnt do.

The second thought that came to mind while preparing this lesson was about theMartin Handcart Company. Youve all heard the story as related by President McKay

Years after over two hundred died before they could reach the Salt Lake Valley, ateacher in a church class commented on how foolish the Company had been to starso late in the season. The teacher then criticized the Church leaders for allowing it.Im sure you remember what an older man in the class said:

Quotation #2 (read boldface)~What is it about extremities, afflictions and trials that enables us to know

God? (We learn that He exists because He answers our prayers. We learnthat we can trust Him to comfort us and bless us according to our needs

We learn that He is wiser than we are, that He is kind and merciful, thatHe loves us. We learn that our trials humble us to that He can bless uswith the ability to overcome whatever we are facing and that we cantovercome without Him. We learn that our wisdom is foolishness compareto His)

I submit, therefore, that as we are obedient to Him and keep the Sabbath day holy,He will be able to bless us, and we will come to know Him.

John 17:3


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Quotation #3

Lets review some of the purposes of the Sabbath. Any ideas?

-WORSHIP: Quotation #s 4 & 5~So is our worship confined to our Sunday meetings? To Sundays,

even?~Is singing a form of worship? (Quotation #s 6-7)

-SACRAMENT: We usually emphasize partaking of the sacrament, but lets turn to:D&C 59:9, 12.~What are oblations? (see footnote 12b)The manual says: This means we should make offerings, or sacri-fices, that show our devotion to Him.

~What sacrifices show our devotion? (see v. 8)~What manifests a broken heart? (to be receptive to Gods will)~What manifests a contrite spirit? (humility)

Quotation #8Lets discuss partaking of the sacrament for a moment:~How do we partake of the sacrament in the right way? (with an at

titude of repentance)Quotation #9

That last line: the denial of self precedes the full acceptance of Him

requires a lot of thought.~How does the Sabbath help us to deny ourselves? (It helps us to d

His will rather than our own, which leads to His being able tobless us, which leads to our will becoming His, which leads tobecoming acquainted with Him because we are like Him)

Back to D&C 59:9. It says And that thou mayest more fully keepthyself unspotted from the world. Joseph B. Wirthlin put it this wayin Quotation #10: ...one of the great purposes of the Sabbath is

to enable us to wash away the filth of a week in Babylon.(CR, Oct. 199~When you come to church with a good attitude, and partake of th

Spirit here, dont you go home feeling refreshed?-TEST: ~What does this test show about us individually? (Quotation #11

Just a side note here. When I read that word complete I remem-bered the gospel definition of perfect. Anyone remember what thais? (whole, complete) And I got excited because I think here we haa definition of w hat it means, in the earthly sense, to be whole and


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complete! It means that our devotion to God is complete! Oncewe attain that, and have proven our complete devotion to Him, Ibelieve, THEN Heavenly Father will be able to bless us with true perfection in all things in the next life.Quotation #12So its a sign whereby Gods people are known (see also, Neh. 13:1

22; Isa. 56:1-8; Jer. 17:19-27; Eze. 46:1-7)Its also a test which shows who or what we really regard as our go

as the most important thing in our life.~What is the 1st commandment? (Thou shalt have no other gods b

fore me)~What is the 2nd? (Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven im-

age.)~The 3rd? (Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in

vain)~And the 4th? (Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy)If we struggle with the 4th commandment, were also struggling withe first three. We must decide if God comes first in our lives or notand the Sabbath is a brilliant test to help us see how were doing.

There are other purposes, but I cant squeeze them all into this lesson. Id like tocover one more, though.-TO COMMEMORATE THE ATONEMENT:

~Did you know that this purpose of Sabbath observance has chang

over time?~According to Elder McConkie, from Adam to the Exodus from Egyp

what did the Sabbath commemorate? (the fact that Christrested from His labors on the 7th day, see Ex. 20:8-11)

~From the Exodus to Christs resurrection, what did the Sabbathcommemorate? (the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bond-age, see Deut. 5:12-15)

~And from the resurrection to the present, the Sabbath has been o

served on the first day of the week, to commemorate what?(that Christ came forth from the grave on Sunday, see Acts20:7)

I had planned to cover the blessings that result from Sabbath observance, but as Iwrote out the lesson I realized I just wouldnt have time. Instead, Ive included somof the promises in the handout for you to peruse at your leisure! Let me just say thathe blessings are greatso great that wed be crazy not to do whatever it takes tokeep the Sabbath day holy!


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Id like to conclude with a story from the Ensign by Alma Yates. He grew up on asmall farm in Utah, and he described summers as difficult and filled with endlessdrudgery. (A bit different from how our children would describe summer, dont youthink?) He also described the Sabbath a bit differently: The one saving balm, the opleasant oasis in the midst of all the summer labor was the Sabbath. (Boy, I wish mboys felt that way!) He then goes on to talk about how critical the summers were fo

the farmer. If crops failed, the family would suffer during the winter.~What do you suppose was the key to the crops success? (water)~Does it rain a lot in Utah during the summer? (No. So they would store the

water during the previous winter and spring, and then ration it through tsummer.)

Each farm was dependent on the irrigation ditch, and each farmer was assigned aday of the week to access water from the ditch. The assigned weekday rotated fromyear to year, and even in Utah Sunday was in the rotation!

Like everyone else, Fathers turn came on Sunday some years. I remembthose years well because I was always impressed by my fathers determi-nation to keep the Sabbath day holy. I dont suppose the Lord would havecondemned him for irrigating his farm on Sunday. He knew fathers heart,and He knew the circumstances under which he and the other farmers la-bored. However, father wanted to avoid even that Sabbath labor.

Well, Brother Yates father did all he could to avoid Sabbath irrigation. Friday & Satu

day he would watch for run-off water from the farmers up the line and use it to irri-gate his farm.Brother Yates says: I dont remember that he ever had beenforced to work on the Lords day. This meant more work for him, but fathewas willing to make the sacrifice if it would allow him to rest on the Sab-bath.

One year was especially difficult. Summer had come early with its scorching heat.Everything was wilting, and to top it off, Brother Yates was assigned the Sunday wa

ter turn. There had been no run-off on Friday and Saturday, and if left for anotherweek everything would be lost. Of course, Sister Yates expressed concern. Thereseemed to be no alternative but to irrigate. So before church Brother Yates trudgedto the ditch and put the canvas dam in place.

...but before doing anything else, still bending over the ditch, he pausedand contemplated. What was he to do? He pondered the Lords injunctionto keep the Sabbath holy. Did he really believe that, not merely with his


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lips but with his life?While he was deep in thought, he received a poignantly powerful com-

munication, one he would never forget: Pull out your dam. Put up yourshovel and tools. I will take care of things for you. It may not be early inthe day, but I will take care of it. As for the summer, leave it to me. I willprovide.

So he returned home and went to his meetings. Still there was no rain, and SisterYates expressed concern again. Once again Brother Yates returned to the ditch.

Reluctantly he placed the dam into the ditch, but then he paused,amazed by his own faltering conviction. Where is your faith? he askedhimself pointedly.

Filled with a new resolve, he pulled the dam from the ditch and went

down the mountain, determined never again to make that Sabbath trek tothe canal.

Coming down the hill, he lifted his eyes to the sky and saw clouds beginning to gather. Within an hour the rain was coming down in torrents. Thedry earth soaked up the needed moisture, and the lawn, the garden, andthe fields were refreshed.

Youll have to read to find out how the farm survived an entire summer without irrigtion! Let me just read from the conclusion of the article:

So often the Lord wants to bless us, but we refuse to let him. We fear totrust him who has given us everything, and yet he is so anxious to send uas it were, the water of life. His blessings await us, but we must trust himcompletely, unconditionally. It seems that at times we must watch ourdreams wither and wilt, with no visible sign of relief on the horizon. Butthen, after the trial of our faith, comes the miracle. (Ensign,August 1982)

Lesson 16: "Thou Shalt...Offer Up Thy Sacraments on My Holy Day"

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Transcript of Lesson 16: "Thou Shalt...Offer Up Thy Sacraments on My Holy Day"